Automatic ice maker



Oct. 6, 1959 E. H. ROBERTS AUTOMATIC ICE MAKER Filed Dec. 16, 1957 2' Sheets-Sheet 1 EDWARD H. ROBERTS H 15- ATTORNEY Oct. 6, 1959 H. ROBERTS 7 2,907,183

AUTOMATIC ICE MAKER Filed Dec. 16, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 F'IGZ INVENTOR. EDWARD H. ROBERTS H IS ATTORNEY United States Patent AUTOMATIC ICE MAKER Edward H. Roberts, Jeflersontown, Ky., assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application December 16, 1957, Serial No. 702,876 4 Claims. (Cl. 62-233) The present invention relates to an automatic ice maker and is more particularly concerned with a combination automatic ice maker and water dispenser for household use.

One object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved automatic ice maker including means for dispensing cold drinking water and water storage means for the cooling of water supplied to the water dispensing means and to the automatic ice maker.

Another object of the invention is to provide a combination automatic ice maker and cold water dispenser unit including valve means for controlling the flow of water to the unit, manually operated valve means for controlling the flow of water to the cold water dispenser and control means operable by a second valve to control the operation of the main supply valve.

A further object of the. invention is to provide an automatic ice maker including new and improved means for effecting the freezing of water into ice pieces in a mold comprising a refrigerated grid structure and for releasing the frozen pieces of ice from the mold and grid structure.

Additional objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds and the features of novelty which characterize the invention will be pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming part of this specification.

In carrying out the objects of the present invention, there is provided a cabinet including interior walls defining a refrigerated compartment and a water reservoir dividing the compartment into an ice storage section and a cooler section. The inlet to the Water reservoir is connected through a solenoid valve to source of water supply and the outlet through a three-way valve to conduit means for supplying water to the ice making unit or for dispensing cold water exterior of the cabinet. The automatic ice maker component of the present invention comprises a refrigerated grid structure and a pivoted tray movable between a horizontal position in which thegrid structure is contained within the tray and a discharge position in which the tray is swung from beneath the grid structure to permit the release of ice pieces from the grid structure. Heating means are provided for releasing the ice from the grid structure and for breaking the adhesion of the ice for the tray while the positioning and pivotal movement of the tray relative to the grid structure is effected by operating means including a spring for holding the tray in its normal or ice freezing position and a resiliently connected electrically operated actuator for moving the tray to its discharge position against the action of the spring. The operation of the ice maker is electrically controlled by an electrical control means whereby the various elements are sequentially operated to fill the tray with water, freeze the contents of the tray,

heat the grid in the tray to break the bond between the ice and the grid and tray, move the tray to a discharge position and thereafter return the tray to its normal or horizontal position. The electrical control means also includes-switch means operated with H the three-way valve for the purpose of interrupting the V 7 pin 35 on the wall 17 normally biases one side of the grid operation of the timer and energizing the solenoid supply valve during the period drinking water is being dispensed by the three-way valve.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view partially in section of an ice maker embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view along the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view along the line 3-3 of Fig. 1 showing the tray component of the ice maker in its normal position;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing the tray in its discharge position;

Fig. 5 is a view generally along line 5-5 of Fig. 1 showing the details of the tray actuating means; and

Fig. 6 is a schematic illustration of the control circuit employed for controlling the operation of the ice maker of the present invention.

With reference to the drawing, there is shown an embodiment of the present invention comprising a cabinet including an outer wall or shell 1 and an inner liner 2 spaced from theshell and defining a refrigerated compartment 3; the space between the shell 1 and the liner 2 being filled with suitable heat insulation 4. Disposed within the compartment 3 is a water storage reservoir 5 which generally divides the compartment into an ice storage section 6 and a cooler section 7 below the ice storage section 6. A door 8 closes an access opening to the ice storage compartment 6 while a suitable drawer 9 is slidably arranged in the cooler section 7. The drawer preferably includes wire mesh side walls and bottom walls 10 and 11 to facilitate cooling of bottled beverages and the like stored therein. An automatic ice making unit genorally indicated by the numeral 12 is arranged in the upper portion of the ice storage compartment 6. The mold portion of this unit comprises a grid structure 14 fixedly supported within the ice storage compartment 6 and a tray 15 having one longitudinal edge secured to a shaft 16 extending through the rear wall 17 of the liner 2 and movable between a horizontal position as shown in Fig. 3 and a discharge position as shown in Fig. 4. For the purpose of cooling the contents of the tray 15 there are provided cooling coils 18 in heat exchange contact with the grid structure 14. These coils form the evaporator component of a refrigerating system including a compressor 19 and a condenser 20; the compressor, the condenser and the cooling means 18 being connected by suitable conduit means (not shown) to form the usual refrigerating system. Also connected'in heat exchange relationship with the grid structure and with ing elements 22 and 23 which upon energization are designed to melt the bond between the tray and grid and the ice in order to release the ice from the mold.

For the purpose of positioning the tray 15 duringthe ice making cycle, there is provided tray operating means designed to hold the tray in the ice making position shown in Fig. 3 during most of the ice making cycle and to swing the tray about its pivot axis represented by shaft 16 to the discharge position shown in Fig. 4 during another portion of the ice making cycle. This tray operating means comprises a toggle member 27 pivotally secured as at 28 to the rear wall 17 of the liner 2 and having one arm 29 connected by a link 30 to an arm 31 fixedly secured to the end of the shaft 16 extending through the rear wall 17 of the liner. A tension spring 33 connected to the other arm 34 of the toggle and to a the toggle 27 and the linkage mechanism so that the tray is held in its normal or horizontal position shown in Fig. 3. For the purpose of swinging the tray downwardly and to 14 in order to permit dischargeof the frozen ice pieces from the ice maker, there is pro the tray 15 are electrical heatvided an electrically operated actuator in the form of the solenoid 38, the plunger 39 of which is resiliently connected through a spring 40 to the arm 29 of the toggle 27. Upon energization of the solenoid 38 plunger 39 moves downwardly and through the spring 40 applies a I force to the toggle 27 sufficient to overcome the biasing action of spring 33 thereby urging the tray from its normal or horizontal position to the discharge position shown in Fig. 4.

The water supplied to the ice maker is obtained from the reservoir which is connected by means of a conduit 42 and a three way valve 43 to the filler tube 44 extending above the grid 14. The reservoir 5 is in turn connected by a conduit 45 and through a solenoid valve 46 to a water supply source represented by the conduit 47. By this arrangement in which the solenoid valve 46 controls the flow of water from the supply 47 to the ice maker including the reservoir 5, all of the water contained within the unit is at zero pressure.

In order to provide a source of cold or refrigerated drinking water, there is provided a cold Water spout 48 extending through the outer shell 1 of the cabinet above the access door 8. This spout 48 is connected to the three-way valve 43, the valve 43 being of a construction such that in its normal position the reservoir 5 is connected directly to the filler means 44 but upon manual actuation of the valve by pressure on the button 49 the connection between the reservoir 5 and the filler means 44 is broken and water is dispensed through the spout 48. Since the water stored in the reservoir 5 is not under pressure, there is also provided a switch means 51 operated by the button 49 for energizing the solenoid valve 46 so that upon depression of button 49, the solenoid valve 46 will be opened to provide the pressure necessary to discharge water through the spout 48.

For the automatic control of the ice maker of the present invention, there is employed an electrical control means diagrammatically shown in Fig. 6. The electrical control means includes a timer 60 and the solenoid valve 46, the heaters 22 and 23, the electrical actuator 38, and the compressor 19 are all connected to the supply lines 63 and 64 through the timer actuated switch means 65, 66 and 67. The timer energizing circuit includes a pair of contacts 68 forming part of the switch 51 and a second pair of contacts 69. The normally closed contacts 68 complete the timer circuit at all times except when the button 49 controlling the three-way valve 43 is depressed at which time the contacts 69 are closed to energize the soleno d valve 46.

With further reference to the electrical control means and the manner in which the operation of the ice maker is controlled thereby, the timer actuated switches 65, 66 and 67 are arranged to be sequentially operated by the timer in such a manner that during a normal ice making cycle the switch 65 is first closed to actuate the solenoid valve 46 and introduce a measured quantity of water into the ice maker. At the same time switch 67 is closed to energize the compressor 19 in order to refrigerate the grid structure 14. While the switch 65 opens as soon as the desired amount of water has been introduced into the ice maker (as controlled for example by a predetermined time interval), the switch 67 remains closed for a period of time sufficient to assure complete freezing of the water within the tray 15. At this point the switch 67 is opened to stop the compressor while the switch 66 is closed to energize both the heaters 22 and 23 and the electrical actuator 38. The plunger 39 is thereupon immediately pulled downwardly by the solenoid 38 thus urging the tray to its discharge position. The tray 16, however, will remain in the horizontal position until such time as the heater 23 has warmed the tray to an extent suflicient to break the bond between the ice and the tray. Thereupon the tray swings downwardly against the biasing action of the spring 33 to its discharge positron shown in Fig. 4. Heating of the grid 14 by the heater 22 causes the ice pieces to fall from the grid into the ice storage compartment 6. Finally, after a suitable time interval switch 66 is opened by the rotation of the timer 60 and switches 65 and 66 are closed to complete the cycle.

As has been indicated previously, switch 51 is designed so that the contacts 68 are normally closed to complete the timer circuit but are opened regardless of the operating condition of the ice maker whenever the water is being dispensed through the spout 48. This assures that, regardless of whether the ice maker is in a refrigerating portion of the cycle or in the ice releasing portion of the cycle and regardless of how much water is withdrawn through the spout 48, the dispensing of water will not affect the ice maker time cycle.

It will be seen that the ice discharged into the ice storage compartment 6 is in contact with the water storage reservoir therefor and serves to cool the contents of this reservoir. This cooling, of course, causes some of the ice to melt and in order to dispose of the resultant water, the storage reservoir 5 is spaced a short distance from the one or more of the walls defining the inner liner 6 as shown in Fig. 2 so that the water formed by melting of the stored ice can fiow downwardly around the reservoir 5 and along the walls of the liner forming the lower cooler section 7, where it cools these walls and maintains the contents of the drawer 9 at the desired temperature. The water from the melted ice then collects on the bottom wall 75 from which it flows through the discharge line 76 into a drain 77. In a like manner any overflow from the spout 48 dropping on the grid 78 provided below the access door 8 flows through the line 79 into the drain 77.

When the ice maker has been operating for some time and ice pieces have accumulated in the storage section 6, it is of course necessary to stop the operation of the ice maker and for this purpose there may be provided a switch 80 having an actuating vane 81 attached to the inner liner 2 in such a manner that the pressure of ice stored in the section 6 causes the vane 81 to open switch 80 and stop the operation of the timer and the compressor 19. In order that the opening of the switch 80 will not interfere with the operation of valve 46 for the dispensing of cold water from the spout 48, the circuit including the contacts 69 forming part of switch 51 is connected in parallel with the switch 80 as well as the switch 65 as shown in Fig. 6 of the drawing.

While the present invention has been described with reference to a particular embodiment thereof, it will be understood that modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without actually departing from the invention and it is therefore aimed in the appended claims to cover all such variations as come within the true spirit and scope of the foregoing invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A combination ice maker and cold water dispenser comprising a cabinet including interior walls defining a refrigerated compartment, a water reservoir extending across the interior of said cabinet in spaced relation with at least some of the walls of said compartment and dividingv said compartment into an upper ice storage section and a lower cooler section, an automatic ice maker in said ice storage cabinet, said ice maker comprising a pivotally mounted freezing tray, a fixedly supported grid for partitioning said tray into a plurality of cells, said tray being movable between a horizontal position in which said grid is disposed in said tray and a discharge position below and to one side of said grid, a spring for holding said tray in said horizontal position, an electrically operated actuator resiliently connected to said tray for biasing said tray to said discharge position upon energization of said actuator, means for cooling said grid for. freezing water in said tray, electrical heating means for warming said grid and said tray, filler means for inoperation of said ice maker including a timer, a timerenergizing circuit and a plurality of circuits each including a timer-operated switch means for controlling the operation of said solenoid valve, said cooling means, said heating means and said actuator for sequentially introducing a charge of water into said tray, cooling said grid to freeze the water in said tray and energizing said heating means and said actuator to discharge ice into said ice storage section.

2. A combination ice maker and cold water dispenser comprising a cabinet including interior walls defining a refrigerated compartment, a water reservoir extending across the interior of said cabinet in spaced relation with at least some of the walls of said compartment and dividing said compartment into an upper ice storage section and a lower cooler section, an automatic ice maker in said ice storage cabinet, said ice maker comprising a freezing tray, a shaft connected to one edge of said tray for pivotally supporting said tray within said compartment, a fixedly supported grid for partitioning said tray into a plurality of cells, operating means connected to said shaft for moving said tray between a horizontal position in which said grid is disposed in said tray and a discharge position below and to one side of said grid, said operating means including a spring for holding said tray in said horizontal position, an electrically operated actuator, a spring connecting said actuator and said shaft for biasing said tray to said discharge position upon energization of said actuator, means for cooling said grid for freezing water in said tray, electrical heating means for warming said grid and said tray, filler means for introducing water into said tray when in the horizontal position, a first conduit including a solenoid valve connecting said reservoir to a source of water supply, a second conduit including a three-way valve normally connecting said reservoir to said filler means, a water spout for dispensing cold water connected to said three-way valve, manual means for operating said valve to disconnect said filler means and connect said water spout to said reservoir, and an electrical control means for automatically controlling the operation of said ice maker including a timer, a timer-energizing circuit and a plurality of circuits each including a timer-operated switch means for controlling the operation of said solenoid valve, said cooling means, said heating means and said actuator for sequentially introducing a charge of water into said tray, cooling said grid to freeze the water in said tray and energizing said heating means and said actuator to discharge ice into said ice storage section, an additional circuit bypassing said switch means in the circuit controlling said solenoid valve, and switch means in said timer circuit and said additional circuit and operated by said manual valve operating means for de-energizing said timer and energizing said solenoid valve upon movement of said three-way valve to a position connecting said water spout to said reservoir.

3. A combination ice maker and cold water dispenser comprising a cabinet including interior walls defining a refrigerated compartment, a water reservoir extending across the interior of said cabinet in spaced relation with at least some of the walls of said compartment and dividing said compartment into an upper ice storage section and a lower cooler section, an automatic ice maker in said ice storage cabinet, said ice maker comprising a freezing tray, a shaft connected to one edge of said tray for pivotally supporting said tray within said compartment, a fixedly supported grid for partitioning said tray intoa plurality of cells, operating means connected to said shaft for moving said tray between a horizontal position in which said grid is disposed in said tray and a discharge position below and to one side of said grid, said operating means including an over center mechanism including a toggle connected to said shaft, a spring connected to one arm of said toggle for holding said tray in said horizontal position, an electrically operated actuator, a spring connecting said actuator and the other arm of said toggle for biasing said tray to said discharge position upon energization of said actuator, means for cooling said grid for freezing water in said tray, electrical heating means for warming said grid and said tray, filler means for introducing water into said tray when in the horizontal position, a first conduit including a solenoid valve connecting said reservoir to a source of water supply, a second conduit including a three-way valve normally connecting said reservoir to said filler means, a water spout for dispensing cold water connected to said three-way valve, manual means for operating said valve to disconnect said filler means and connect said water spout to said reservoir, and an electrical control means for automatically controlling the operation of said ice maker including a timer, a timerenengizing circuit, and a plurality of circuits each including a timer-operated switch means for controlling the operation of said solenoid valve, said cooling means, said heating means and actuator for sequentially introducing a charge of water into said tray, cooling said grid to freeze the water in said tray and energizing said heating means and said actuator to discharge ice into said ice storage section, an additional circuit bypassing said switch means in the circuit controlling said solenoid Valve, and switch means in said timer circuit and said additional circuit and operated by said manual valve operating means for de-energizing said timer and energizing said solenoid valve upon movement of said three-way valve to a position connecting said water spout to said reservoir.

4. An automatic ice maker comprising a pivotally mounted freezing tray, a fixedly supported grid for partitioning said tray into a plurality of cells, said tray being movable about its pivot axis between a normal position in which said grid is disposed within said tray and a discharge position below and substantially to one side of said grid, cooling means in contact with said grid for freezing liquid in said tray, heating means for warming said grid and said trayto release ice therefrom, spring means for holding said tray in its normal position, electrical activating means resiliently connected to said tray and operable upon release of said ice for moving said tray to its discharge position against the action of said spring means, and electrical control means for effecting sequential operation of said cooling means, said heating means and said actuating means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,161,321 Smith June 6, 1939 2,757,519 Sampson Aug. 7, 1956 2,778,198 Heath Jan. 22, 1957 2,808,707 Chace Oct. 8, 1957 

